Stolen car check
A stolen car never becomes the property of the person who buys it, however honestly they paid. The stolen car check searches the Police National Computer for the registration and tells you whether a theft marker is held against it, and where it is, which force recorded it and when. It is part of the full history check, £9.99 for everything, and it is the one section of the report to read before you travel to see a car, not after.
What the stolen check shows
When a vehicle is reported stolen, the police add a marker to the national computer against its registration and its chassis number. The check returns that marker if one is present: the status, the reporting force and the date. Most cars come back with no marker, and that is the result you want. A marker means the car is recorded as stolen today, whatever the seller says about it, and the right response is not to buy it and to tell the police by calling 101 with the registration and where you saw it advertised.
The check reads the live record, so a car that was stolen and recovered years ago will show as clear, with the earlier theft appearing in the history section of the report instead.
What happens if you buy a stolen car
The car still belongs to its owner, or to the insurer that paid out for it. When the police find it they will seize it and return it, and you are left to recover your money from a seller who has usually disappeared. There is no good-faith protection for a stolen vehicle as there is for outstanding finance, and knowingly keeping a car you have learned is stolen is itself an offence. The signs are familiar: a price well under the market, a seller who wants to meet somewhere other than the address on the V5C, cash only, pressure to decide today. One of those can be innocent; several together are a reason to leave.
Cloned cars, and why the VIN matters
A cloned car is a stolen car wearing the identity of a legitimate one: the plates and sometimes the VIN plate are copied from a similar car that is taxed, insured and clear on every register. A check on the registration will come back clean because the real car is clean. The defence is to match the car in front of you to the identity you checked: the VIN on the V5C against the plate at the base of the windscreen and the stamping on the chassis, the engine number, the colour and specification against the record. Our report shows the last five characters of the VIN so you can make that comparison, and the free check shows make, model, colour, engine size and fuel for the same reason. If the V5C is missing, or the seller will not let you see the VIN, that is the answer.
Stolen check questions
How do I check if a car is stolen?
Run the free check, then add the full history check for £9.99. The Police National Computer is searched when you pay and the result appears in your report within about a minute.
Is there a free stolen car check?
The police do not offer a public lookup, and the national computer is a licensed source that charges per search, so a reliable stolen check is part of a paid report. Be wary of anything free that claims otherwise.
What should I do if the check finds a stolen marker?
Do not buy the car and do not confront the seller. Call the police on 101 with the registration and the advert, and keep any messages you have exchanged.
I have already bought a car and it turns out to be stolen. What now?
Contact the police straight away and cooperate; the car will be returned to its owner or insurer. Keep every record of the purchase to pursue the seller and to show you acted in good faith.
Can a stolen car pass a history check?
A cloned one can, on the registration alone. That is why the report includes the VIN fragment and the vehicle's identity: match them to the car itself before you pay.
Does the check show the car was stolen in the past?
Yes, where a recovered theft is on the record, in the history section. A past theft is not a reason not to buy, but it is worth asking whether anything was damaged or replaced.
Last updated 9 November 2026. Stolen data: Police National Computer via our licensed data supplier. For information only; if you suspect a car is stolen, contact the police.